An increasing number of countries have been strengthening
pharmaceuticals by formulating and implementing national
medicine policies. The overall aim is to improve access to
quality medicines at affordable cost and ensure their rational
use. Despite these efforts, access to medicines remains
limited. It is estimated that a third of the world's population
lacks regular access to them. This proportion goes up to
more than half the population in the poorest parts of Africa.
While many governments show sufficient expressed political
will to improve the pharmaceutical sector, numerous
variables and factors jeopardize the full implementation of
medicine policies. Such factors include civil unrest and wars,
new diseases such as HIV/AIDS, poverty, insufficient funding,
lack of human resources and unfavourable socio-political
environment...